Whitecaps' Clark Walks off Loons in Tenth, Hope Homers in 2-1 Loss

Sports stats

MWL Great Lakes Loons

Whitecaps' Clark Walks off Loons in Tenth, Hope Homers in 2-1 Loss

July 3, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. - The Great Lakes Loons (40-37) (6-6) and the West Michigan Whitecaps (53-24) (9-3) put on a pre-Independence Day pitching showcase with the Whitecaps getting the late hit and a 2-1 extra innings win on an 85-degree sunny Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark.

- Zyhir Hope had a remarkable fourth inning. The Dodgers' No. 2 prospect hammered a solo home run 359 feet to right field to start the scoring. It was the lone hit off West Michigan starter Colin Fields. In the bottom half, Hope scaled the right field fence to knock down a would-be Josue Briceno home run, keeping him to a double. The Whitecaps stranded Briceno on second to end the inning.

- Sean Linan had his best start in the Midwest League. The right-hander went five scoreless innings with five strikeouts, one in each frame. The Dodgers' No. 29 prospect worked around two walks, inducing a flyout to center to finish his night.

- From the sixth to the tenth inning, the game saw a combined eight pitchers. Evan Shaw tossed a scoreless sixth inning. Reynaldo Yean struck out two in the seventh. West Michigan's Joe Adametz wasted runners on the corners for the Loons in the top of the sixth.

- The Whitecaps tied things up in the eighth. Yean walked Samuel Gil, his second of three walks in his Midwest League debut. Joel Ibarra replaced Yean. Ibarra hit Seth Stephenson, walked Max Clark, and hit Josue Briceno with a pitch to make it 1-1.

- After the Loons went down in order facing Micah Ashman, Joseilyn Gonzalez took over in the bottom of the ninth. West Michigan loaded the bases with one out. Gonzalez then generated a groundball to Jake Gelof, who stepped on third base and threw it to first to put it to extras.

- In the tenth, a Gelof popup was dropped by Kevin McGonigle, putting two on with one out. A 4-6-3 double play ended the threat.

- Great Lakes did not record an out in the bottom of the tenth. McGonigle walked, and on a 1-0 pitch, Max Clark hit a chopper on the infield grass. Fielded by Kyle Nevin, his throw would not have beaten Clark, but it was too high for Gonzalez to catch and bounced into foul territory. Ghost runner Seth Stephenson sprinted across home to win it.

Rounding Things Out

Kendall George with an infield single in the sixth, extended an active hitting streak to nine games. It is his second nine-game stretch with a knock; his first was from April 12th to April 22nd.

Up Next

The Loons and Whitecaps head to Midland and will play three games at Dow Diamond. Tomorrow, the Fourth of July will see a contest with a first pitch time of 7:05 pm. Celebrate at the 4th of July Block Party on Main presented by Michigan Army National Guard. After the game is a Fireworks Loontacular brought to you by Farm Bureau Insurance.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.

Check out the Great Lakes Loons Statistics



Midwest League Stories from July 3, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Great Lakes Loons Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central